Specific geometric shapes are cut out by means of a laser or stamped out by stamps from large metal sheets by sheet metal processing machines. A residual sheet metal grid is left over as a waste product requiring disposal. The residual sheet metal grid can be removed from the sheet metal processing machine manually or automatically and discarded in a container in a complete or folded state. However, residual sheet metal grids of this type are generally large and unwieldy. This impairs the production operation because wide transport paths are necessary, the process reliability may suffer and the space inside the container is not fully used. Therefore, it has already been proposed to stamp or cut up the residual grids, for example, with a laser machine. Whilst the laser machine cuts up the residual sheet metal grids, it is not available for processing the sheet metal. The comminution of the residual sheet metal grids therefore impedes optimum use of the laser machine for processing sheet metal.
As an alternative, it has been proposed to break down the residual sheet metal grids into strips by means of a guillotine shears following the production of the parts. However, those strips still have the same width as the original residual sheet metal grids. Handling such strips remains difficult. Furthermore, containers are not properly used.